State of Art

This week on State of Art we're handing the mic off to Anchorage artist Duke Russell. He interviews his occasional collaborator Ted Kim, who recently opened a solo exhibition at Middle Way Cafe called "At Home." It runs until Oct. 5th.

This week on State of Art we’re hearing from Anchorage band Medium Build. Singer Nick Carpenter and multi-instrumentalist/audio guru James Glaves let us know what they’ve been up to and what they have planned. We talk about Nick touring with Tiny Desk Concert winner Quinn Christopherson, Medium Build’s new video, and their upcoming album.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from local artist Maxine Fekete. Back in June, she opened her first solo exhibition. A couple of weeks later, she was in the hospital after a random attack in downtown Anchorage. The closing day of her show turned into celebration of being alive. She tells us about the attack, her recovery, and what's next.

On this week's State of Art we're hearing from Juneau artist David Woodie. His solo exhibition "Studio 212" opened this month at Cyrano's ArtSpace Gallery. We'll also hear about a University of Alaska Anchorage professor whose pop-up book aims to teach kids about what happens when plastics reach the ocean.

This week on State of Art we're talking about the superhero comedy "Hearts Like Fists," from Cyrano's Theater Company. We hear from director Frank Delaney and cast member Kaichen McCrae. We talk superheros, cast chemistry, and stage fighting.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Anchorage band Tanana Rafters. They recently recorded some tracks for a new video series from Alaska Public Media called Polar Playlists. We check out those tracks and find out more about the band.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Anchorage author, Don Rearden. His most recent project is "Warrior's Creed," a memoir he co-wrote with Roger Sparks, a decorated veteran who has served as a Recon Marine and an Alaska Pararescuman. We learn about what goes into co-writing a book, reliving other people's trauma, and doing their stories justice.

This week on State of Art we're in our fall membership drive. We featured an old tune from Jared Woods and an even older one from Alaska Public Media's Shonti Elder. We also featured a story from the Spirit of Youth Awards.

We're wrapping up our membership drive and we have a couple of pieces to give your ears a rest.

This week on State of Art we're getting an education on opera. We learn about "The Barber of Seville," the first production of the season from Anchorage Opera. Stage director Laura Alley and Anchorage Opera principal conductor Brian DeMaris put "The Barber" in historical context and talk about why it's a good introduction to the art form.

It's theater season and a weekly dose of Anchorage arts and culture just isn't enough to get it all out there. In this SOA bonus interview, we hear from "The Ice Maiden" director Dick Reichman and cast member Krista Schwarting.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from playwright and screenwriter Vera Starbard. Her Perseverance Theater produced play "Devilfish" is finishing its Anchorage run on November 3. She talks about keeping things authentic while weaving together Tlingit legend and history.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Gayla Ranf, owner of Spenard Art Studio. She talks about the new space and creating using encaustics. We also look at "Summerland" from Anchorage playwright Arlitia Jones and Cyrano's Theater Company. The play wraps up its Anchorage run Sunday, Nov. 10.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Oleg Proskurnya, director of the Anchorage Civic Orchestra. Their Fall Concert is Saturday, Nov. 16 in the Sydney Lawrence Theater. We also have a track from Anchorage's The Jangle Bees off their self-titled album.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Alaska musician and writer James Dommek Jr. He sat down with Alaska Public Media's Casey Grove to talk about Dommek's new project "Midnight Son." The sound-rich, narrative podcast is a bestseller from Audible and tells the story of Teddy Kyle Smith, a well-known Alaska Native actor convicted of attempted murder. We also hear "Leaves," a track from Anchorage band The High Pets' new album "Burn Forever."

This week on State of Art we're hearing from Mark Wolbers, director of the Anchorage Community Concert Band. We talk about their upcoming winter concert, "The Sounds of Music," the volunteer band, and some background about the pieces they'll be playing.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from local artists Sheila Wyne and James Temte.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from artist Jimmy Riordan. He spoke with Hometown Alaska host Kathleen McCoy about his new project involving a retired bookmobile, raising funds for repairs and what comes next.

This week on State of Art we're talking about Storytelling Saturday Theater. For their first season, SST is performing different family-friendly versions of the Cinderella story from cultures around the world.

This week on State of Art we're looking back on some excellent local releases that came out last year.